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Positive Behavior Supports
Here are some highlights and talking points about Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Please give feedback! Critical Qualities and Roles of The Special Education Teachers The role of special education teachers has changed over time as the principles and practices of pecial education have evolved. Today, there are a number of qualities and that create an adequate pecial education teacher and help them accomplish their many roles in the education system. Data and Decision Making Special education teachers are required to administer assessments, compile data and use that data to make decisions on a daily basis. This process requires special educators to be familiar with content from many subject areas and interpret data to make the best decision for their students edication. Implementing Interventions Response to intervention is a major topic in the world of education as a whole, and special education teachers should be very well-versed in the methods and strategies that their intervention plan calls for. They should be familiar with instructional methods to boost student performance on curriculum based assessments and they should collaborate with regular education teachers as well as support staff to ensure proper instructional methods are being employed. Behavior Management For many special education teachers, managing behaviors is paramount to maintaing a healthy, safe and inclusive environment. With the implementation of Positive Behavior Support Plans (PBSP), students have begun receiving consistent, structured expectations school wide. However, special educators can use a variety of strategies in their won classrooms to manage behaviors including: Structured Environment Small Class Sizes/Instructional Grouping Front Loading Clear Consquences Seating Arrangments Physical Proximity Verbal Redirections Applying Differentiated Instruction In general, differentiating instruction is used to help create a learning environment that is conducive to all types of learners. This can be accomplished by making adjustments in six key areas according to Smith et al. (2012). These areas include class setting, content, materialsInterventions, management and affect. By making adjustments in these areas, both general and special education classrooms can be made conducive to learning for all types of learning styles. Collaborator Lastly, special education teachers must be excellent collaborators. They must work hand in hand with regular education teachers, parents, school administrators, outside agencies and a host of other players that have roles in the IEP of exceptional students. Additional Qualities On top of all these specific roles, St. Joseph's University listed some additional critical qualities of special educators in a 2019 web-page. They must be well organized, calm creative, adaptive and intuitive. All of these qualities help special education teachers navigate the challenging field of special education on a daily basis. Creating a Positive Learning Environment Creating a positive learning environment is crucial for all students, not just exceptional learners. THere are several keys to creating this environment. Preparation A teacher's ability to prepre creative lessons that engage all students is imperative to a positive learning environment. Lack of preparation will be evident to students and indicate that the teacher is not taking the lesson seriously. Differentiation and Universal Design for Learning Six forms of differentiation are touched on above. Polloway et al. (2018) dicuss both macro scale differentiation, which creates curriculum that caters to all students, and micro-scale differentiation, which creates adjustments for small grouops or individual students. Much like macro-scale differentiation, application of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model is intended to create curriculum that is accessible by all learners, both exceptional and non-exceptional. UDL principles include presenting material to students using different resources, allowing students multiple forms of expression to show what they've learned and using revolving motivational strategies. Collaboration As mentioned above, special education teachers must be willing and able to collaborate with other professional staff to create the best learning environment for their students. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) PBIS should be implented at the school level and can have dramatic impacts on the behavior of entire student bodies. Some key principle os PBIS include: - Clear expectations - Rigid structure - Rewards for positive behavior - Clear outcomes and redirections for negative behavior When implemented at a school-wide level, PBIS has been linked to the following positive impacts (Towvim et al. 2012): - Decreased detenton rates - Decreased classroom disruption - Increased instructional time - Increased academic outcomes - Improved school culture Instructional Interventions Response to intervention (RTI) has become common practice throughout the educational community. It can be implemented from kindergarten through secondary school to help students perform as close as possible to their peers in academic subject areas. RTI involves three tiers ranging from no intervention to extensive intervention and if students are unable to make progress after highest tier of services are utilized, the are often refered for special education evaluation. Some common RTI instructional techniques implemented as a student moves through the tier system include: - Decreased class size - Supplemental instructional time - Grouping inside general education room or outside of general education room - Scaffolded Instruction - Increased instructor feedback - Increased frequency of rewards - Use of graphic organizers In addition, it is critical that the student's response to these intervention strategies be clearly documented via progress monitoring assessments. Accomodations and Modifications Accomodations and modifications can both be grouped into adjustments that occur during the educational process of exceptional learners. Accomodations refer to adjustments that are made that do not impact the content that the student receives, rather they impact how the student receives the content. Alternatively, modifications refer to adjustments that impact the type of, or amount of content the student will receive. Common Accomodations Include: - Frequent breaks - Chunking of assignments - Extended time on assignments and tests - Quiet, distraction-free areas to work - Designated seating Common modifcation Include: - Ommiting content to be taught - Fewer assessment/test questions - Alternative grading standards For a more comprehensive list of accomodations and modifications commonly used in the special education world please visit this link to Understood.org. Assistive Technology (AT) The use of assistive technology as an adaptive tool, can make the lives of many student's easier as they pursue their education. Assistive technology canbe used to help students communicate with their peers and teachers, it can help them access and use instructional tools like computers and text materials, and it can help them navigate their environment. AT's can range in complexity and price, but special educators should be familiar with varying levels of AT that can be utilized in their classroom to assist special learners. Common examples of AT, ranging in price from cheap to expensive, can include: - Thicker pencil grips - Raised lined paper - Braces - Keyboards - Ipads - Voice recognition software - Eye gaze devices There are many resources available to learn more about AT's. Here is a good place to start!